Latest Articles
Nonbelieving authors make room for belief: "People like objectivity"
Bruce Sheiman doesn’t believe in God, but he does believe in religion....
Vatican opens doors to dissident Anglicans: Far-reaching ecumenical implications
In a move with far-reaching ecumenical implications, the Vatican has announced plans to open its doors to Anglicans upset with their church’s growing acceptance of homosexuality and women clergy....
Perception gap: Two tales, one church
Two church members came in to talk to me on the same day. The first said the church had betrayed her, limited her, injured her. She described the church as indifferent, cowardly and sick....
No offense given: Commotion over caricatures
Early in October, Yale was abuzz with passionate debates about the freedom of expression....
Words for conversion: An interview with Mary Karr
Mary Karr has won a Guggenheim Fellowship for her poetry as well as the Pushcart Prize for her poetry and essays. She teaches at Syracuse University and lives in New York City....
Our stalker culture: The celebrity craze
We’re all stalkers now. We are virtual stalkers, for we can obsessively track the joys and mishaps of celebrities via the 24/7 news cycle. ...
Demoniacs have names: A challenge for ministry
Jean sits down with the rest of the committee members, and the meeting gets started. She's in her familiar light blue cashmere cardigan sweater, her reading glasses hanging from a thin black woven cord around her neck, her gray-streaked hair pulled back into an efficient bun. She is as proper as always. But tonight her face is completely blank, as if she doesn’t dare reveal anything. She says nothing. “What’s up with Jean?” I wonder.
An evening time and a morning time: Jeremiah 33:12-16; Luke 21:25-26
A year before my mother died, she heard her father call to her during the night....
Can introverts lead? Breaking down stereotypes: Breaking down stereotypes
There may be no other feature of American life that contains as much bias toward extroversion as leadership. Since our leaders epitomize our cultural values, it is no surprise that Americans want their leaders to be extroverts. Psychologist and author Marti Olsen Laney cites a study that was repeated three times with the same findings: when asked if they would prefer their ideal leaders to be introverted or extroverted, both introverts and extroverts chose an extrovert as “their ideal self and ideal leader.”
An Education
Set in early 1960s London, An Education is a coming-of-age film about a sharp-witted teenager who falls in love with a man in his thirties....
An evening time and a morning time (Jeremiah 33:12-16)
A year before my mother died, she heard her father call to her during the night....
Reasonable God
The principal alternatives to religious belief are commonly thought to be atheism and agnosticism....
Back from the brink
Mary Karr’s memoir follows two earlier biographical efforts, The Liar’s Club, the story of her upbringing as the daughter of alcoholics, and Cherry, a...
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
Aristotle famously asserted, “Philosophy begins in wonder.” Sometimes I wonder about that....
Conceiving Parenthood: American Protestantism and the Spirit of Reproduction
Those familiar with Amy Laura Hall’s work will recognize in Conceiving Parenthood her characte...
On the shelf: Methland, by Nick Reding
In 2006, Congress passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act as part of the Patriot Act....
Warning signs and grounds for hope
In the state where I live sometimes it's hard to tell which is scarier, Halloween or election day—a useful reminder that Christians are constantly besieged both by supernatural powers and by the re...